Holders having multiple, adjustable straps

ABSTRACT

Holders having multiple, adjustable straps are disclosed herein. According to an aspect, a holder includes a first adjustable strap having mating connectors. The holder also includes a second adjustable strap having other mating connectors. Further, the holder includes a third adjustable strap attached to the first adjustable strap at a first position and attached to the second adjustable strap at a second position distal from the first position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/909,424, filed Nov. 27, 2013 and titled SHOE HOLSTER, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application is related to a commonly-owned U.S. design patent application titled HOLDER HAVING MULTIPLE STRAPS, which is being filed simultaneously herewith.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present subject matter relates to item storage and transport, and more specifically, to holders having multiple, adjustable straps.

2. Description of Related Art

Currently, athletic equipment, such as shoes, is typically either carried by hand or in some type of bag and generally stored in some sort of bag or other closed structure. Carrying wet and dirty athletic equipment by hand, is generally repellent, and storing or carrying wet athletic equipment, such as shoes, in the dark and damp confines of a bag or pack can prematurely age the shoe material and lead to the growth of odor causing bacteria. For at least these reasons, there is need of durable, secure, and sanitary holders for athletic equipment.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Holders having multiple, adjustable straps are disclosed herein. According to an aspect, the holder includes a first adjustable strap having mating connectors. The holder also includes a second adjustable strap having other mating connectors. Further, the holder includes a third adjustable strap attached to the first adjustable strap at a first position and attached to the second adjustable strap at a second position distal from the first position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an example holder having multiple, adjustable straps in a disconnected state in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a side rear view of the holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front side view of the holder shown in FIG. 1 while holding a pair of shoes;

FIG. 4 is a rear side view of the holder shown in FIG. 1 while holding a pair of shoes;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the holder shown in FIG. 1 while holding a pair of shoes;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the holder shown in FIG. 1 while holding a pair of shoes; and

FIG. 7 is a front view of another example holder having multiple, adjustable straps in a disconnected state in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a holder having multiple, adjustable straps in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter. Referring to FIG. 1, the holder includes three adjustable straps as shown in reference numbers 102, 103, and 104. Straps 102 and 103 extend substantially parallel to each other and are bisected by strap 104. Each strap can be made, either entirely or partially, of leather, a synthetic polymer (e.g., nylon), or other suitable material. Strap 104 is shown as being perpendicular to straps 102 and 103, although it should be understood that the strap 104 may be attached to the other straps in any other suitable orientation or configuration.

Strap 104 can be stitched to strap 102 at position 105. Alternative to stitching, the straps may be attached together by any other suitable technique as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Strap 104 can be either stitched to (as shown) or looped around strap 103 at position 106. Alternative to looping or stitching, the straps may be attached together by any other suitable technique as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.

An end of strap 104 can include a connector, at an end 107, such that the holder can be attached or connected to other items or carried by a person. In this example, the connector at the end 107 includes hook-and-fastener material 108A and 108B (e.g., VELCRO®). To form a loop for attaching to another item or for carry by a person, portions 108A and 108B can be attached together. Alternatively, the connector may be a snap or any other suitable connector as will be understood by those of skill in the art.

Each strap 102, 103, and 104 can be adjustable in length. For example, the straps 102, 103, and 104 may include buckles 109, 110, and 111, respectively. The holder can thus accommodate items of various sizes and shapes since straps 102, 103, and 104 are adjustable in length. The buckles 109, 110, and 111 can be, for example, glide buckles, bi glide buckles, tri glide buckles, or other suitable components.

The strap 102 may include connectors 112 and 114 for connecting the ends of the strap. For example, the connector 112 may be a male connector for connecting to a female connector 114 as shown in FIG. 4 at reference number 402. Similarly, referring to FIG. 1, strap 103 may include male and female connectors 113 and 115, respectively, for connecting the ends in a similar manner as shown in FIG. 4 at reference number 403. The broken lines in FIG. 4 represent shoes held by the holder, although it should be understood that the holder may suitably carry or hold any other type of item. The buckles, when the device is in use, may align as shown in FIG. 3 reference numbers 109, 110, and 111.

The loop of strap 104 is shown in the closed position in FIG. 4 at 301. FIG. 5 shows the entire apparatus in use with the dotted lines again representing the shoes being carried. FIG. 2 shows a rear side view of the holder in its open unused state, FIG. 3 shows a front view of the holder in use with the loop of strap 104 in the closed position at 301, while FIG. 6 shows a rear view of the holder in use.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of another example holder having multiple, adjustable straps in a disconnected state in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter. The example holder of FIG. 7 is similar to the example holder of FIG. 1. In the example of FIG. 7, strap 104 also includes a rigid, ring-shaped component 701 that extends through secured loops 702 and 704 formed by the strap 104. In this example, the ring-shaped component 701 is a metal ring, although it should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the component may be any suitable shape made of any suitable material. The loop portion 702 is attached at the position 105. The loop 704 is attached at position 106. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art, that as an alternative implementation a second rigid, ring-shaped component may attach strap 104 to strap 102 in a similar manner as rigid, ring-shaped component 701 attaches strap 104 to strap 103.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present subject matter. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present subject matter has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present subject matter and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present subject matter for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present subject matter have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A holder comprising; a first adjustable strap including first mating connectors; a second adjustable strap including second mating connectors; and a third adjustable strap attached to the first adjustable strap at a first position and attached to the second adjustable strap at a second position distal from the first position.
 2. The holder of claim 1 wherein the third adjustable strap forms a secured loop at an end, wherein the second adjustable strap extends through the secured loop.
 3. The holder of claim 1 wherein the first adjustable strap and the third adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 4. The holder of claim 1 wherein the second adjustable strap and the third adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 5. The holder of claim 1 wherein both the first and second adjustable straps are fixedly attached to the third adjustable strap.
 6. The holder of claim 1, wherein the first and second adjustable straps each include a buckle.
 7. The holder of claim 6 wherein the first adjustable strap and the third adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 8. The holder of claim 6 wherein the second adjustable strap and third adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 9. The holder of claim 6 wherein the third adjustable strap includes a buckle.
 10. The holder of claim 9 wherein the first adjustable strap and the third adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 11. The holder of claim 9 wherein the first adjustable strap and the second adjustable strap are fixedly attached.
 12. The holder of claim 1, wherein the third adjustable strap includes a buckle.
 13. The holder of claim 1, wherein the third adjustable strap includes an end having a connector.
 14. The holder of claim 1, wherein the third adjustable strap forms a secured loop at an end, and wherein the holder further comprises: a rigid ring-shaped component that extends through the secured loop; and a fourth strap that is attached to the ring-shaped component and the second adjustable strap.
 15. The holder of claim 1, wherein the first mating connectors are mating buckles.
 16. The holder of claim 1, wherein the second mating connectors are mating buckles.
 17. The holder of claim 1, wherein both the first and second mating connectors are mating buckles.
 18. The holder of claim 1, wherein the first adjustable strap is stitched to the third adjustable strap.
 19. The holder of claim 1 wherein the second adjustable strap is stitched to the third adjustable strap.
 20. The holder of claim 1 wherein both the first and second adjustable straps are stitched to the third adjustable strap. 